Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary Salary
In Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL, teaching assistants, postsecondaries earn $19,550 at the median. The range runs from $20K at the entry level to $27K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 84.82), which stretches that salary to about $23,049 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,000/month, about 72.3% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $20K get you in Florence-Muscle Shoals?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Florence-Muscle Shoals’s Regional Price Parity (84.82). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About teaching assistants, postsecondaries
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What this looks like in Florence-Muscle Shoals
Pay for teaching assistants, postsecondary in Florence-Muscle Shoals runs about 54% below the U.S. median of $43K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,000/month, which is 71.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 84.82 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 15% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for teaching assistants, postsecondarys.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for teaching assistants, postsecondaries in metros near Florence-Muscle Shoals, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Auburn-Opelika | $23K | $26K |
| Huntsville | $26K | $28K |
| Birmingham | $38K | $42K |
| Montgomery | $21K | $23K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL
Entry-level teaching assistants, postsecondaries (10th percentile) start around $20K. Mid-career wages sit at $20K. Top earners bring in $27K or more, a $8K spread from bottom to top.
Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | $58K | +36% | 5,030 |
| Massachusetts | $56K | +31% | 3,040 |
| Texas | $56K | +30% | 13,540 |
| New Jersey | $54K | +26% | 3,390 |
| Minnesota | $53K | +24% | 600 |
| Utah | $52K | +22% | 2,020 |
| Washington | $50K | +18% | 1,480 |
| North Carolina | $50K | +17% | 2,900 |
| North Dakota | $50K | +16% | 90 |
| Oklahoma | $50K | +16% | 1,680 |
| Virginia | $50K | +16% | 1,660 |
| Arizona | $50K | +16% | 7,200 |
| Kentucky | $50K | +16% | 990 |
| Oregon | $50K | +15% | 880 |
| Rhode Island | $49K | +15% | 50 |
| California | $49K | +15% | 19,120 |
| Georgia | $49K | +14% | 2,470 |
| Ohio | $49K | +14% | 2,210 |
| Vermont | $49K | +13% | 60 |
| New Mexico | $48K | +12% | 370 |
| Wisconsin | $48K | +12% | 4,210 |
| Maine | $47K | +10% | 90 |
| South Carolina | $47K | +9% | 2,730 |
| New York | $44K | +2% | 17,390 |
| District of Columbia | $43K | +1% | 130 |
| Kansas | $42K | -3% | 640 |
| South Dakota | $40K | -7% | 460 |
| Michigan | $40K | -7% | 18,440 |
| Nebraska | $40K | -8% | 730 |
| Iowa | $39K | -9% | 560 |
| Pennsylvania | $38K | -11% | 2,480 |
| Louisiana | $38K | -12% | 440 |
| Florida | $38K | -12% | 9,130 |
| Colorado | $37K | -13% | 530 |
| Idaho | $37K | -13% | 220 |
| Tennessee | $37K | -14% | 300 |
| Illinois | $36K | -16% | 12,340 |
| West Virginia | $36K | -16% | 40 |
| Alaska | $36K | -17% | 70 |
| Indiana | $35K | -19% | 1,940 |
| Montana | $30K | -30% | 380 |
| New Hampshire | $27K | -38% | 480 |
| Nevada | $25K | -42% | 540 |
| Arkansas | $23K | -46% | 2,600 |
| Alabama | $23K | -47% | N/A |
Showing 1–10 of 45 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track teaching assistants, postsecondary salary changes
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Related careers in Education
Frequently asked questions
Can a teaching assistants, postsecondary afford a 2BR apartment alone in Florence-Muscle Shoals?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $20K, rent takes 71.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,000/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $400/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for teaching assistants, postsecondaries in Florence-Muscle Shoals?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new teaching assistants, postsecondaries typically earn — is $20K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,173/month. At HUD’s $1,000/month FMR, rent would take 85% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is teaching assistants, postsecondary a high-paying job in Florence-Muscle Shoals?
Local pay runs 54% below the national median — $20K here vs. $43K nationally. Cost of living is 15% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Florence-Muscle Shoals compare to the national average for teaching assistants, postsecondaries?
Florence-Muscle Shoals pays $20K median vs. the U.S. average of $43K — that’s -54%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 84.82), the purchasing-power equivalent is $23K — below the national median.
How much do teaching assistants, postsecondaries make in Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL?
The median is $19,550 a year. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $19,550, and experienced teaching assistants, postsecondaries can clear $27,190. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $20K enough to live in Florence-Muscle Shoals?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,399/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,000/month, which eats 71.5% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a teaching assistants, postsecondary salary go in Florence-Muscle Shoals?
Florence-Muscle Shoals has a Regional Price Parity of 84.82 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median teaching assistants, postsecondary salary is worth about $23,049 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do teaching assistants, postsecondaries get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.